Mechanism for playing stringed instruments



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet l.

G. S. CRAWFORD.

MEGHANISM FOR PLAYING STRINGED INSTRUMENTS.

No. 389,137. Patented Sept. 4, 1888.

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N. FEKERS. Mfl-Ulhcgrapber, Vlashinginn. I c.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

O. S. CRAWFORD.

MECHANISM FOR PLAYING STRINGED INSTRUMENTS.

No. 389,137. Patented Sept. 4, 1888.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 C. S. CRAWFORD.

MEOHANISM FOR PLAYING STRINGED INSTRUMENTS.

No. 389,137. Patented Sept. 4, 1888.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

CHARLES S. ORAXVFORD, OF PLYMOUTH, OHIO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 389,137, dated September 4, 1888.

Application filed June 21, 1888. Serial No. 277,790. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that l, GHaELEs S. CRAWFORD, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Plymouth, in the county of Richland and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Playing Stringed Instruments; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact de scription of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in machines for playing guitars, man dolins, ban j 0s, and othersirnilarl ystrung musical instruments; and it consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as will be more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

The essential feature of myinvention is the employment of mechanism for engaging the strings of the instruments between the frets on the necks thereof, or if frets are not extant, at such points on the necks as to produce the necessary tones and changes, and also for picking the same over the head or drum, while the said instruments are suspended in relative proximity thereto, all of which is operated by foot-pedals, a part of which change the chord, producing the majors and minors, and to play the full chords of the several keys by a full contact of the pickers.

The object of my invention is to obtain a mechanical accompaniment on stringed instruments of the character above set forth, the operation of the machine being positive and the construction simple and effective in its construction. I obtain this object by the preferred construction of machine illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like letters of reference indicate similar parts in the several views, and in which- Figure l is a front elevation of the machine. Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof. Fig. is a transverse vertical sectional view on the line a; :0 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 4 is a side elevation in detail of one set of pickers. Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the pickers shown in Fig. 4, together with a part of the suppertinglrame. Fig. 6 is an elevation of a set of the fingers for engaging the strings of the instrument on the neck. Fig. '7 is a detail view in elevation of the clamp employed for securing the instrument to the machine.

A. indicates the base-frame of the machine, having slots and an enlarged opening in one side thereof and a longitudinallyarranged strip, A, secured to the inner surface of the opposite side. To the said strip A a series of foot-pedals, B, are pivoted and project out through the slots in the opposite side of the frame. Each of the said pedals 13 is secured to rollers l 1 I, mounted in the upper part of the frame A by straps 2 2. The said rollers 1 are grooved in their upper sides, in which are fitted strips 3, forming bridges, to which are attached cords The number of the cords t varies relatively to the number of strings dcpressed on the neck of the instrument played to make the various changes and chords, as will be more fully hereinafter described. The outer ends of the cords l are secured to the lower end of a series of verticallyarrauged levers, 5, pivotally supported in a frame, 3, attached to one end of the main frame A. The said levers 5 are held apart by suitable space strips and wires, and to their upper projecting ends another series of cords, 6, are secured. This latter series of cords are secured at their opposite ends to the outer ends of fingers 7, which are mounted in a frame, 0.

A bout midway of the top part of the frame A two uprights, 0, are secured and connected by a crossbar, c. The cross bar 0 passes through an aperture in the lower end of a bar or strips, 0, and is permanentlysecured thereto. This bar O extends upward at a rear angle of inclination, and has the inner end of a horizontally-arranged grip-bar, C secured thereto. The opposite end of the said gripbar is seemed to an upright, 0, attached to one end of the frame A. The gripbar G and the upright G are also inclined similarly to the strip 0. The frame O is arranged heri; zontally, and is secured at its inner end to the strips or upright O, and atits opposite end to a rearwardly-incliucd upright, 0, having a slot, 0 in its upper end. The frame O, therefore, is also slightly inclined to bring the rear surface thereof in a parallel plane with the neck of the instrument, which is held at an incline to the machine. The frame 0 is formed with slots through which the fingers 7 operate. The said fingers are pivoted in frame G, and are separated by eross-strips 0 As shown, five of said cross-strips c are used, between which are arranged four series of fingers, 7, each series containing six fingers, and each finger covering and adapted to press upon one of the six strings of a guitar, which in the present instance is shown as used. The said fingers act relatively with the first five frets of the guitar. and as thirteen foot-pedals B are employed, at least thirteen different chords may be made. These fingers 7 have springs S attached thereto, which are secured at their opposite ends to the cross-strips a.

At the end of the machine, adjacent to the pickers, a rocking arm, D, is mounted and pivoted to a fulcrum-strip, (Z. The inner end of said rocking arm has the upper end of a link, d, secured thereto, which at its lower end is attached to the inner end of a treadle, E, which projects out through an enlarged opening in one side of the frame A. The said treadle E is pivotally mounted in the frame A in such a manner as to have a rocking movement. The end of the rocking arm D opposite to that to which the link d is secured has the lower end of a pitman, D secured thereto, which extends upward and is attached to the end of a rocking cam-block, D pivotally connected to a rest-block, d", secured to the inner side of a vertically-sliding frame, 0 which is slotted at its upper and lower ends and held against the inner side of the standard or strip 0 and at the same inclination as said strip, and has two strips, on w, secured thereto, against which the oscillated block has bearing and causes a sliding movement of said frame 0 The said cam-block D is substantially rectangular in shape. The said beveled slotted corners oft-he block D are engaged by the opposing ends of two picker-arms,FF,which are pivoted to the ends of the sliding frame 0 and have springs S attached thereto to return the opposing free ends thereof to their normal position. The said opposing ends of the picker-arms F are enlarged, as at f, and each provided with three projections, f, intersected by a space. These projections are alternately forced inward by the motion ofthe rocking blocks D and by the said operation of the pickers the six strings of the instrument are engaged and played. When the treadle E is operated, the block D is oscillated to adapt the picker-arms F, as heretofore described, and at the same time the strip C is given a vertical sliding motion, which is imparted to the picker-arms, and the projections of the enlarged ends of said arms are thereby given adrawing motion on the strings. The rear edges of the frame C and the sliding frame 0 are cut away to clear the strings and not interfere with the vibrations thereof.

A strip, B is secured to the inner side of the frame B, whose rear end projects outward from the said frame, and is formed with a series of slots through which a series of three levers or arms, F F, extend and are held apart thereby. The said arms F are pivoted in a slotted strip, 0', secured to the under side of the grip-bar G and extend at a downward incline therefrom. The arms F are held at an angle over the bed-frame A of the machine by coiled springs S which are secured to the lower ends thereof and to the under side of the frame B. The rear edges of the said arms F are provided with projections f which are grooved and arranged to engage the strings of theinstrument. The lower ends of said levers F have cords 8 secured thereto, which pass around sheaves 9, mounted on a post, 10, and are then secured to all the rollers, but, as shown, are connected to the first three adjacent rollers only. The number of cords 8 used may be varied as desired.

The one end of the guitar G is held in the upper slotted end of the upright 0* in such position as to bring the upper surface of the neck in a parallel plane-with the rear surface of the horizontal strip 0, so that the first five frets shall be in position to be engaged by the finger 7. The drum or sound-box of the guitar rests on a rear projection from the strip 0", and is firmly held against said strip by a clamp comprising a vertical arm, H, having a hollowed cross-head, H, which bears directly against the rear of the said sound-box. The sound-box is held in such position that the strings may be relatively engaged by pickers F and F. The guitar having been placed in position as above set forth, the operator grasps the grip-bar O and'depresses one of the foot-pedals, which draws one of the rollers 1 around and pulls on the cords 2,- secured thereto. The said cords in turn draw on the lower ends of the levers 5, thereby pulling the cords 6, secured to the upper ends of said levers, which in turn depress one or more of the fingers 7 against their springs S. WVhen said fingers are depressed, they engage the strings required to form the desired chord and the treadle E is worked, which actuates the pickers F. The said pickers,striking the strings, cause the production of the necessary chord, the time being governed by the movement of the treadle E. At the same time the levers F are depressed and force two of the bass-strings, not used, down, so as not to be engaged by the pickers F. When the footpedals are released, the springs S return the fingers7,theintermediatelevers,andtherollers 1 to their normal positions. The thirteen footpedals represent thirteen chords that may be evolved. The number of cords 2 attached to the rollers l varies according to the number of strings required to make certain chords and the depressed position of the strings requisite for producing such chords.

Other similarly-stringed instruments may be substituted for the guitar and be played with equal facility.

I claim 1. In a machine for playing stringed instruments, the combination of the frame, the foot pedals, the rollers connected thereto, the series of vertical levers, the fingers for engaging the frets, the connectingcords, the pickers, and the treadle, substantially as described.

2. In a machine for playing stringed instruments, the combination of the frame,the footpedals, the rollers having bridge-pieces, the straps connecting the rollers to the pedals,the series of vertical levers, the cords connecting the lower ends of the levers with the rollers, the spring-actuated fingers for engaging the neck of the instrument, the cords connecting the upper ends of the vertical levers with the fingers, the one set of pickers, bass-stop bars, and the treadle, substantially as described.

3. In a machine for playing stringedinstruments, the combination of the frame, the foot pedals, the rollers connected to the pedals,the

series of vertical levers, the series of fingers engaging the neck ofthe instrument, cords connecting said rollers, levers,and fingers, the one set of spring-actuated pickers,the sliding frame to which this set of said pickers is attached, and the treadle for operating said pickers,subslantantially as described.

4. In a machine for playing stringed instruments, the combination of the frame, pedals, rolls, levers, fingers, cords connecting "said rolls, levers, and fingers, the rocking arm in one end of the frame, the treadle connected to one end thereof, and the set of pickers connected to and operated by the other end of said rocking arm, substantially as described.

5. In a machine forplaying stringed instruments, the combination ofthe frame,the pedals, the rolls connected thereto, the series of vertical levers, the fingers, the cords connecting the several parts, the rocking arm in one end of the frame, the treadle connected to the inner end of said rocking arm, the pitman connected to the opposite end, the oscillating block connected to the upper end of said pitman, the two spring-actuated picker-levers engaging the inner end of said oscillating block, and the sliding frame on which said pickenlevers are mounted, substantially as described.

6. In a machine for playing stringed instruments, the combination of the frame,the pedals, the rollers, the series of vertical levers, the fingers, the cords connecting the rollers, the levers, and the fingers, the pickers, the bars, string-depressing levers having cords connected to their lower ends and to the rollers, the sheaves around which said cords pass, and the treadle, substantially as described.

7. In a machine for playing stringed instruments, the combination of the pedals, rolls, vertical levers, fingers, cords for connecting the several parts, the one set of pickers, the treadle, and a clamp for holding the instrument, substantially as described.

8. In a machine for playing stringed instruments, the combination of the frame, pedals, the rolls, the series of vertical levers, the fingers, the connections for said parts, the slotted frame in which said fingers are mounted arranged at an angle of inclination, the set of pickers, and the treadle, substantially as described.

9. In a machine for playing stringed instruments, the combination of the frame, pedals, rolls, the series of vertical levers, the fingers, the cords connected to the upper and lower ends of the said levers and to the rolls and fingers, the set of pickers having two springactnated arms with opposing enlarged ends having rear projections, bassstop bars, springs connected to the lower ends thereof and to a part of the rollers, the sheaves over which the latter cords pass, the treadle, the rocking arm to which one end of the treadle is connected, the pitinan connected to the opposite end thereof extending upward and secured to an oscillating block for operating the one set of pickers, and the rocking l'rame upon which said latter set of pickers is mounted, substantially as described In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHA S. CRAXVFORD.

IVitnesses:

THOMAS A. HELMs, J. W. Cram. 

